Rank It: “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” Heist Episodes

A lot of shows have their iconic holiday episodes. "Friends” has Thanksgiving, and “Parks and Rec” invented “Galentines” Day. Still, despite many shows having great Halloween episodes, no show took a holiday and made it its own more than “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”

The Halloween heists, which eventually took place at other points in the year, are a “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” staple and one of the first things many fans think of when they think of this show.

Our very own “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” superfan Sophia D’Ovidio took it upon herself to rank the heist of each season.

Spoilers for all 8 seasons of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” are below:

8. “Valloweaster” Season 7, Episode 11:

“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” has one of the craziest off-screen stories that doesn’t involve petty celebrity drama. The show infamously got canceled by Fox after Season 5 but was picked up again by NBC for seasons 6 through 8.

However, this caused “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” to start airing mid-season, thus not airing during the spooky season.

“Valloweeaster” is a fun episode for fans of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” and the precinct's antics are the wildest the show has seen yet. It was amusing to see just how crazy the gang has gone, not just to win this heist but to have the most heist wins.

By this season, “Brooklyn 99” was already on its last leg, and many of its episodes felt more like fan service than the writers' room’s fresh idea. This episode was somewhat predictable compared to former heists, but maybe that’s just because only so many detectives hadn’t won yet.

Giving the writers credit for having to come up with a second non-Halloween “Halloween Heist” episode, this isn’t the best what this show has to offer.

HEIST WINNER: Detective Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz)

7. “Cinco De Mayo” Season 6, Episode 16

Again, “Cinco De Mayo” has issues similar to those in the last episode. It didn’t air during Halloween, and the writers had to devise an excuse to have the heist on another day.

However, this being the first in a series of unseasonal heists gave it a slight advantage over the entry in the next season.

By season 6, so much of what viewers knew about the heist had been broken; someone outside of Jake Peralta and Captain Holt could win, a non-detective could win and winning the heist might not be the actual goal at all.

But still, “Brooklyn 99” established that Terry Jeffords “hates heists,” and while he’d been roped into alliances in the past, the big man of the precinct finally got the win he’d set up seasons prior.

HEIST WINNER: Sergeant/Lieutenant Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews)

6. “Halloween III” Season 3, Episode 5

This may be a controversial pick, but it felt obvious that Amy Santiago would win this heist within the first third of this episode.

By season three, it has been set up that the heists were a battle between Peralta and Holt and with Santiago’s new relationship with Peralta and the teacher’s pet tendencies she has, neither thought they could trust her on their team.

This is a textbook heist episode. The winner isn’t who was set up to win; there are twists, other plots to move along, and character growth to occur utilizing the heist as a tool.

This one is the worst of the pre-NBC heists, but it’s still a staple and important episode of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”

HEIST WINNER: Detective Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero)

5. “Halloween IV” Season 4, Episode 5

This episode is very similar to the one behind it, the biggest difference being that it wasn’t obvious who the winner would be. In fact, this is the point on the list where the winner of the heist is really a shock each episode.

“Halloween IV” changes the game of the heist. There are now three teams, and by the end, the precedent is set that really anyone can win the heist. The title changes from “ultimate detective/genius” to “ultimate human/genius.”

HEIST WINNER: Gina Linnetti (Chelsea Peretti)

4. “Halloween II” Season 2, Episode 4

There’s not much to say about the second Halloween heist, it’s consistent quality with the first with less of a surprise.

However, “Halloween II” is a cute episode that helps illuminate Captain Holt letting his guard down and becoming closer with his detectives.

At this point, the heist is still just Peralta trying to best Holt again and even if the twist can be guessed there’s still plenty of suspense in figuring out how Peralta could get out of the issues he finds himself in.

HEIST WINNER: Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher)

3. “The Last Day” Season 8, Episodes 9 and 10

For a show that dipped in quality somewhat towards the end, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” has a very strong finale, it being a heist episode plays a big part in that.

It was a perfect way to utilize the expansive world “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” had built itself in with callbacks and characters returning for one final adventure.

“The Last Day” is wacky yet heartfelt, words that encapture the charms of this series.

“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” was also able to make it the craziest heist yet with every character teaming up and betraying each other with multiple reveals that make it clear the audience would be leaving the “Nine-Nine” in a much different place that they first were introduced to it.

As emotional as the finale is, the series ends with the acknowledgment that the group would get together every year so the heist tradition could live on.

HEIST WINNER: Detective Michael Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker)

2. “Halloween” Season 1, Episode 6

The introduction to these heists and the most tame of the bunch is a masterclass in world-building, character development and hilarious dialogue from the writers' room.

Being only 6 episodes in, this episode was essential in portraying just how smart Peralta is, being able to outsmart Captain Holt but admitting he needed help from his fellow detective to pull off the feat.

Viewers are still getting to know the characters and haven’t grown accustomed to the precinct constantly wiggling their way out of sticky situations.

The B and C plots of this episode are also pretty strong, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” would go on to mostly scrap other plotlines in their heist episodes as they got more intricate but in the most simple heist the other plots help to keep the episode entertaining and serve as an important buffer for Peralta’s antics.

HEIST WINNER: Detective Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg)

1. “HalloVeen” Season 5, Episode 4

This is a perfect episode of television.

Just like the heists in seasons 1, 2 and 4 the outcome of the heist feels uncertain until the last moment.

But the reveal of the heist not being someone from the precinct winning the cumberbund but rather an engagement is possibly the most shocking result of any heist.

The relationship between Jake and Amy is one of the most beloved in all of sitcom history.

Their playful and competitive dynamic followed them on their journey from frenemies to friends to unrequited crushes to dating and in this episode, engaged.

The engagement was at the perfect time for the couple and Fumero and Samberg's acting is so beautiful and raw it’s impossible to not tear up.

Between the genuine suspense of the heist in this episode and the engagement plot twist it’s not just the best heist episode but one of the most iconic in the series.

HEIST WINNER: N/A (but it’s really Jake and Amy)

Sophia D’Ovidio is a fourth-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email sgd5184@psu.edu.